Latching and locking means for luggage cases and like receptacles



Jan. 21, 1958 2,820,359

A. LEVlNE LATCHING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR LUGGAGE CASES AND LIKE RECEPTACLES Filed Sept. 27, 1954 2 Sheets-$11691', 1

Jan. 21, 1958 A. LEVINE 2,820,359

LATCHING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR LUGGAGE lCASES AND LIKE RECEPTACLES Filed Sept. 27, 1954v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTR. zwawelrfe,

nited,

rates Patent Olii@- LATCHINGAND LOCKING MEANS FOR LUG- GAGE rCASES AND LIKE RECEPTACLES Abraham Levine,-Elizabeth, N. J.

Application September 27, 1954, Serial No.L 458,432

4'Claims. (Cl.` 70'69) Thislinvention relates to av novelconstruction of relea'sable'latching and locking device for luggage cases and like receptacles of the type having a-cover or li'dj hinged to a body section for closing'the latter.

This .invention yhas for an object to provide a compact, substantially atlatching and locking device of little outwardly projecting bulk, the upper member of which isy adapted to be affixed to the front wall of the coverorlid of a luggage case or like receptacle, for cooperation with ay lower member which isiada'pted to be aiXed to the front wall of the body section of the luggage caseA with a slideplatethat is manipulatable to disengage theA catch plate from-thelatch plate, whereby to release the latter.

The invention has` for another object to provide the` catch plate f and 'its slide plate `with key actuatable means, cooperative with thelower memberl ofthe latching and' locking device, for lockingftheY same against latch plate releasing manipulation;

They invention hasl fora; further objectv to lprovide thel piv'otedA latch plateof the upper member ofv the latching :and lockingdevice with means cooperative with cammingmeans with which thelower member of the latchingv and locking deviceris provided, whereby` manual movementofthe latchplate toward latched relation to the catch.. plate will force thev cover or lid of the luggage case or like` receptacle into tightly closed relation to thebody` section xthereof, especially wheny packedy content ofthe. luggage case or likereceptacle tendsltoresist cover or-` lid closingl movement.

The above and other objects will be understood from areadingf, of the following detailed description of my invention` in.v connection with the accompanying drawings, in; which: K

Eig., l. is frontface View, of thel'atching and locking device of this invention, shown inits latched condition; and, Fig. 2 is asimilar view,- showingy the same in its released condtion.`

Fig.,3 is a vertical cross-sectional view, taken on line 3-3 inEig.. 1but4 drawn, on an` enlarged scale; Fig. 4

isA a transverse longitudinal st-:ctionalviev,taken` on line` ll-tin Eig. (3 a rear, facev cover plate. being removed; andFig. Shis a4 longitudinal Sec'ti91f1al-View,talreny on line, 5-5 inFig, 4, with the rear falce cover lilla'te` in place.

Fig. 6 is aview similar to that of'Fig', 4, but showingy the latchi'ng and locking device in its released condition.

Fig; 7 is a fragmentary view, similar t o that of Fig. 4, butshowingthe key actuated locking means in locking condition for securing the catch plate and its slide plate against" latchi plate releasing manipulation.

Referring"l to the drawings; in which `same reference charactersarezapplied' to indicate like or corresponding Lparts, the reference character 10 indicates a hollow rear- PatentepdxJan., 21', 1958.

l2 wardly open lower member casingl which.` is exteriorly formed vto provide, in its from face, an .outwardly `and endwis'e open transverse ,slide plate guideway 11.` The ends ofthe lower member casing. ltlare indentedto provide clearance spaces or ways 12 to accommodate re-Y spective inturned angular end portions 13 of a slide plate 14-which is slidably movable in said guideway 1l. Said lower member casing 10 is interiorlyformedto 'provide a longitudinal catch plate slideway 15, which `is1c'lijs'pcsed.` in alignment with said external slide plate` guidewayll, and which is closed at its ends by inset portions ,16er

the side walls` of said casing vwhichv dene the interior endsofjthe aforesaid clearance spaces' or wayslZ.,

Slidably supportedby the internal slideway 15 is a catch plate 17, the upper marginal portion of which, adjacent to one'end thereof, is cut away and shaped to provide achanlrfered catch nosing 18, Extending linwardly from the slide plate 14 are longitudinally spaced shouldered coupling studs 19 to which respective end portions `of the catch plate 17 are suitably secured, either detachably as-by fastening-nuts 20 (as shOWB), 0r f'xe'dly as by a riveting connection (not shown), whereby longitudinal movement of the slide plate 14 is t'ransrnitt'edA tothe catch plate 17 and vice versa. The front wall 21 of the lower member casing 10 is pierced by openings 22 through which said coupling studs' 19 extend, and by which ymovements thereof in company-with the slide plate and" catch plate are accommodated. A locking tumbler 23"is.pivotally supported by one ofthe coupling studs 19 so as'to be carried by the catch plate 17,interm'ediate the same and the front wall21 ofthe casing l0; Said locking, tumbler is disposed to extendy along 'sa-id catch plate 17. from the end portion thereof opposite to that in which the catch nosing 1S is formed. Formed in connection with the free end the locking tumbler 23 is a thrust spring engageable projection 24 having convergent upperand lower faces- 25 Yand 26; Supported in one end of; the slideway 15 and a cavity27l extending downwardlyv therefroml is a U shaped spring, the bight 28'ot'which isheld against `displacementy by an anchor stud2'9f which extendsinto said cavity 27. One arm- 3i) of saidspring isbackedg by a shoulder 31, which is dened by an outer end vvallv of the slideway 15 and cavity extension 27, while the other arm 32l of said springy extends upwardly into theslideway 1S, andv terminates in an angular-nosing 331 Which normally engages against the upper face 25 of the projection 24 with which the free end off the locking tumbler 23` is provided.

plate and locking tumbler assembly, to thereby dispose the4 catch plate 17 in its operative latchingposition,- as well as to exert retaining action upon the pivoted locking` tumbler to hold the same in its non-locking position. The locking tumbler 23 is provided with an upwardly projecting locking tongue 34 disposed in rearwardly offset relation to its free end.

The upper interior of the lower casing` member 10 is interiorly formed to provide an entrance way or chamber 35, which opens, upwardly through the top edge thereof,"

.said lockingk tumbler is upswun'g to a lockingposition.

Within the entrance way or chamber 35, in an upper As thus arranged, the springV yieldablyexerts longitudinal thrust'` against the catchassunse interior end portion thereof, so as to be disposed in extension from an adjacent end of the latch plate admission opening 36, is formed a stationary cam shoulder 40, the function of which will be hereinafter explained.

Formed in connection with the lower member casing 10, to respectively project rearwardly from opposite end portions thereof, preferably contiguous to the side wall portions 16, are fastener studs 41. These fastener studs project exteriorly beyond the rear face of said casing 10. Said fastener studs are adapted to be engaged through the front wall of a luggage case or like receptacle body 42, and then riveted thereover or otherwise fastened to said wall, whereby to operatively affix said Icasing to the luggage case or like receptacle body 42, with the top edge of the former aligned with the top edge of the latter (see Fig. 3).

The upper member of the latching and locking device also comprises a hollow, rearwardly open casing 43, which is provided in its top edge wall with a longitudinal opening 44 and in its bottom edge wall with a like longitudinal opening 45, which openings accommodate the movements of a pivoted latch plate 46 which is housed by said casing 43. Formed in connection with said upper member casing 43, to respectively project rearwardly from opposite end portions thereof, are fastener studs 47. These fastener studs project exteriorly beyond the rear face of the casing 43, and are adapted to be engaged through the front wall of a luggage case or like receptacle cover or lid 48, and then riveted thereover or otherwise fastened to said wall, whereby to operatively aix said upper member casing 43 to the luggage case or like receptacle cover or lid 48, -with the bottom edge of the former aligned with the bottom edge of the latter, and in position to oppose the top edge of the lower member casing 10 of the latching and locking device (see Fig. 3).

The latch plate 46 is pivotally mounted Within the upper casing member 43 by means of the rearwardly projecting hinging ear 50 thereof, which is engaged over a stud 47 as a fulcrum, and so that its arcuate free end 51 is directed toward the end portion of t-he catch plate 17 of the lower member casing 10 in connection with which the catch nosing 18 is formed. The upper marginal portion of said latch plate projects outwardly through the opening 44 in the top edge wall of the casing 43, and is suitably formed to provide an external iinger or push piece 52 by which the latch plate can be manipulated. The lower free end portion of the latch plate 46 is formed to provide a forwardly projecting latch nosing 53 which, by downward or inward swinging of the latch plate, can be passed through the bottom edge opening 45 of the upper member casing 43, and thence through the top edge opening 36 of the lower member casing 10, into engagement with the catch nosing 18 of the catch plate 17 contained in said casing 10. The lower rearward end portion of the latch plate 46 is formed to provide a suite ably shaped, rearwardly projecting rigid lever arm 54, which is adapted to engage the stationary cam shoulder 40 located within an end of the entrance way or chamber 35 of the lower member casing 10, when the latch plate is down swung toward its latching position. The latch plate 46 is yieldably up swung to its released position by a spring member 55, which is engaged around the stud 47 by which the latch plate is pivotally supported, one arm 56 of which is purchased against the bottom edge wall of the upper member casing 43, and the other arm 57 of which engages the hinging ear 50 of the latch plate, so as to exert up swinging thrust upon said latch plate. Suitable means is provided to limit up swinging releasing movement of the latch plate 46. One form of such means (as shown) comprises a stationary stop stud 58 xed within the interior of the upper member casing 43 to engage in an arcuate limiting slot 59 with which the body of the latch plate is provided.

, The locking tumbler 23 is key actuatable, and, to this end, the same is provided intermediate its ends with a key reception opening 60. The internal periphery of this opening 60 is shaped to provide a key engageable shoulder 61 to receive turning thrust of an inserted key in direction to up swing the locking tumbler to its locking position, and another key engageable shoulder 62 to receive turning thrust of an inserted key in direction to down swing the locking tumbler to its nonlockng or normal released position. Rotatably mounted in the external slide plate 14 is a slotted key barrel 63 through which a key (not shown) can be passed, and thence through an opening 64 in the front wall 21 of the lower member casing 10, into operative engagement with the locking'tumbler.

If desired, a rear face cover plate 65 can be provided intermediate the mechanism contained within the lower member casing 10 and the luggage case or like receptacle body 42 to which the latter is aixed.

In order that the lower member casing 10 and its contained structure can be used in connection with either a right or left swinging latch plate, the latch plate 17, with its attached locking tumbler 23, and the associated thrust spring 28 can be reversed. To permit this, the casing 10 is provided at each end with the cavities 27, the spring retaining studs 29, the locking shoulders 39, and the cam shoulders 40. As will be obvious, the mounting of the slide plate 14 is such that the same can be longitudinally moved in either direction, accordingly as the catch-plate and associated parts are arranged in one or a reversed position within the lower member casing 10,

In operation, the latch plate 46 being out swung to released position (see Figs. 2 and 6), and the cover or lid 48 of the luggage case or like receptacle being swung down toward its closed relation to the body 42, whereby to oppose the upper member casing 43 to the lower member casing 10, the operator thereupon presses down said latch plate 46 to enter its operative end into the lower member casing 10. The resultant in swinging movement of the latch plate 46 carries its rigid lever arm 54 into engagement with a cam shoulder 40, thus exerting an upward pull upon the lower member casing 10 accompanied by a downward pull upon the upper member casing 43, and thereby forcing these casings into meeting relation against any resistance to tight closing of the cover or lid 48 upon the body 42 of the luggage case or like receptacle, which may be caused by upward pressure of the packed content of the body 42 against the cover or lid 48. While this occurs, the lower free end portion of the latch plate 46 enters through the opening 38 into slideway 15, so that the latch nosing 53 encounters the catch nosing 18 of the catch plate 17, and, in passing, pushes back the latter against the thrust of the spring 28, until the latch nosing 53 is disposed beneath said catch nosing 18, whereupon the spring 28 returns the catch plate 17 to normal position, wherein said catch nosing hooks over the latch nosing, thus locking the upper member casing and lower member casing together, and thereby securing the cover or lid 48 in closed relation to the body 42 of the luggage case or like receptacle.

To release the cover or lid 48 from secured relation to the body 42 of the luggage case or like receptacle, the operator pushes against an appropriate end of the slide plate 14, thus imparting longitudinal movement to the catch plate 17 in direction to withdraw its catch nosing 18 from restraining engagement with the latch nosing 53, whereupon the spring 55 out swings the latch plate 46 to its released position, thus disconnecting the upper member casing 43 from the lower member casing 10, and thereby freeing the cover or lid 48 of the luggage case or like receptacle for opening movement relative to the body 42.

When the upper member casing 43 is latched to the lower member casing 10, if it is desired to lock the slide plate 14 and associated catch plate against latch plate releasing manipulation, a suitable key (not shown) is inserted through the key barrel 63 to engage the locking tumbler 23, and, by proper turning of the key, to upswing the latter so as to oppose its locking tongue 34 to a locking shoulder 39 (see Fig. 7). Under these conditions, the angular nosing 33 of the thrust spring 28 will engage the lower face 26 of the projection 24 of the locking tumbler, thus holding the locking tumbler in its aforesaid locking position. A reverse rotation of the key will return the locking tumbler to its initial non-locking or released position.

While the provision of the locking tumbler 23 will be found desirable in most cases, the same may be omitted in an embodiment of this invention desired to provide only latching effect.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A latching device for a luggage case or like receptacle having a cover hinged to the body thereof comprising an upwardly open lower casing adapted to be mounted on the front wall of the receptacle body and a downwardly and upwardly open upper casing adapted to be mounted on the front wall of the receptacle cover in the plane of and in opposition to the lower casing, the outer face wall of the lower casing being indented by an outwardly and endwise open transverse guideway, a manipulatable external slide plate longitudinally movable in said guideway, a longitudinally movable catch plate disposed within the lower casing in parallel plane relation to said slide plate and connected with the latter so as to be actuatable thereby, said catch plate having an upwardly projecting catch nosing, spring means to yieldably move the catch plate to its latching position, a manipulatable latch plate disposed in parallel plane relation to the lower and upper casings and pivotally connected by an end thereof to and within the upper casing for vertical swinging movements through the latter into and out of the lower casing in the plane of the catch plate of the same, said latch plate having a latch nosing at its lower free end portion for latching engagement with the catch nosing of the catch plate, and spring means to yieldably upswing said latch plate to withdraw the same from the lower casing to its nonlatching position.

2. A latching device according to claim 1 including a key actuatable locking tumbler pivotally mounted on the atch plate, said lower casing having means engageable by the locking tumbler, when it is moved to a locking position, inhibiting releasing actuation of said catch plate by the slide plate, key admission means carried by the slide plate through which a key can be entered for actuating engagement with the lockingr tumbler, and said catch plate controlling spring means and said locking tumbler having cooperative means to yieldably hold the latter in either its locking or non-locking position relative to the catch plate.

3. A latching device according to claim 1, wherein the latch plate and lower casing are provided with cooperative means operative to draw down the upper casing into close abutting relation to the lower casing when the latch plate is manually down swung into the latter for latching engagement with the catch plate thereof, said cooperative means comprising a stationary cam shoulder within the lower casing adjacent an end of its upper opening and in the plane of said latch plate, and the pivoted end of the latch plate having a rearwardly projecting rigid lever arm extending in the plane thereof and adapted to thrustingly engage and bear against said cam shoulder when the latch plate enters said lower casing into latched engagement with the catch plate therein.

4. A latching device according to claim 3, including a key a-ctuatable locking tumbler pivotally mounted on the catch plate, said lower casing having means engageable by the locking tumbler,when it is moved to a locking position, inhibiting releasing actuation of said catch pate by the slide plate, key admission means carried by the slide plate through which a key can be entered for actuating engagement with the locking tumbler, and said catch plate controlling spring means and said locking tumbler having cooperative means to yieldably hold the latter in either its locking or non-locking position relative to the catch plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 57,986 Slaight Sept, 11, 1866 61,361 Roulstone Jan. 22, 1867 90,804 Ahrend June 1, 1869 123,444 Bayer Feb. 6, 1872 1,469,719 Dobson Oct. 2, 1923 1,791,900 Leventhal Feb. l0, 1931 2,129,117 Cheney Sept. 6, 1938 

